June 5th, 2018

The Symposium spotlights Chavez Schools’ top seniors as they present their public policy thesis research and share ideas for solving some of the most pressing issues in our community and in our world.

This year we celebrated the long history of Chavez Schools in DC by welcoming three successful alumnae to talk about how their experiences at Chavez prepared them for their careers and empowered them to be advocates in their communities.

Scholars

Angel Anderson

Capitol Hill High SchoolMental Health in the Black Community

Angel Anderson was born in Washington D.C. on July 14, 2000. She is a senior at Cesar Chavez Capitol Hill High School and has worked hard at school to achieve a 3.8 GPA. She plans to attend North Carolina A&T this upcoming fall semester and plans to major in Psychology. One of her career goals is to be a psychiatrist, and this goal partially inspired her thesis topic to help those with mental illness.

Marcia Bailey

Parkside High SchoolPreventing Cyberbullying

Marcia Bailey is a graduating senior from Chavez Schools-Parkside Campus and plans to attend Bennett College this fall. She will major in political science with a minor in business. Marcia selected cyberbullying as her thesis topic because she wanted to gain further knowledge on a topic that affects people everywhere, and hopes to reduce the rate of suicide due to cyberbullying. Thesis helped prepare Marcia for all the obstacles that may cross her path during her college experience. In her spare time, Marcia is a part of the Cesar Chavez Cheer squad, where she holds the title of captain, and is a member of the Student Government Association.

Kevin Hernandez

Parkside High SchoolDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Kevin Hernandez Pleitez was born in San Miguel, El Salvador, and came to the United States at the age of nine to further his education and begin a new life. At an early age, Kevin began to see the impact that immigration had on his family and many others alike. Kevin is a strong believer in the positive impact of immigrants in the United States, which is why he chose to focus his thesis research on the U.S. immigration system, specifically a program called DACA. Upon graduating from Chavez Schools, Kevin will be attending the University of Pittsburgh - Greensburg in Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in computer engineering.

Justice Wright

Capitol Hill High SchoolDC Energy Consumption

With an open mindset, risk taking attitude and optimistic personality Justice Wright has survived high school and earned Valedictorian. Since middle school, Justice has participated in cheerleading, volleyball, track & field, and various government clubs while continuing to serve the community. As she has grown not only in her interests but also her faith, Justice wants to better herself and her community and will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University studying Environmental Science.